Hair-curling apparatus



1,643,411 sept- 27, P KUNIN ET AL I HAIR CURLING APPARATUS I Filed Jan. 18, 1926 F I Z x {f vram. KUNIN AND REUBEN Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES A. OLSEN, OF MINNEAPQLIS, MINNESOTA; SAID OLSEN ASSIGNOR TO SAID KUNIN. v

HAIR-CURLING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 18, 1926. Serial No. 81,941.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating and curling hair and is especially adapted for use in machines eifecting a socalled permanent wave upon human hair. In such apparatus it is desirable to employ a plurality of depending heating units or curlers supported from an overhead chandeher or bracket for convenient manipulation, each capable of being adjusted vertically as desired.

Most commercial devices of this nature provide a plurality of counter-weighted heating units passing over overhead pulleys or guides. These devices utilize flexible electrical connections extending from the bracket to the several heating units and moreover, require flexible members connected to the heating units and the counterweights. units often become tangled with the several cords and electrical conductors, as well as the counter-weights, often causing considerable trouble to the operator.

It is an object of this invention to provide simple but highly eflioient apparatus for supporting a pluralityof curling or heating units without the use of counter-weights or 'sprin operated spools whereby each unit may e vertically adjusted independently and maintained for operation at various heights.

A further object is to provide hair curling apparatus equipped with independentlyadjustable heating units rovided with means for closing an electric circuit in each heating unit when said unit is extended or lowered into operative position.

Another object of the invention is to com.- pactly enclose all the electrical connections,

contacts and working parts within a decorative housing or dome readily removable togain access to said parts, the only parts of said apparatus extending on the outer side of the dome or chandelier being the heating units and the electric conductors connected to the same.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide for each heating unit a spring controlled swingable arm disposed within said dome adapted to vary the take-up on the flexible electrical conductors supporting he heating units. This construction permits the several heating units to be adjusted vertically and independently.

'These and other objects'of theinvention Due to this structure the heating parts .throughout the several Figure 2 is a horizontal cross section taken on a larger scale on line 22 of Figural.

line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing a means of pivoting the swingable arms and the connecgion of the electric control element therewit a Figure 5 is a detailed vertical section showing a means for making and breaking the circuit of one of theelectricheating units.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1, showing the mechanism for raising or lowering the upright standard. Figure 7 is a vertical'section of the top portion of one of the heating devices.

.05 Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the Referring to the drawings by reference characters, an upright tubular standard 10 is rigidly carried y a heavy pedestal or base 11. A shaft or standard12 is telescoped within the tubular standard 10, means belng provided-which will later be described for.

elevating or lowering standard 12 relatively to lower standard 10. Standard 12 carries a 'T-head 1*3 at its upper end having rigidly secured thereto by means of set screw 13 an annular horizontal extending member 14. The annular member 14 is obviously ca pable of horizontal adjustment in T-head 13. A concave diskor'frame 15 is seated in annular member 14 and supported thereby, an annular flange being provided at its upper peripheral edge. Centrally disposed in the bottom of frame 15 is an upstanding truncated conical drum 16 having in the upper edge thereof a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots 16.

The inner ends of a plurality of radially disposed arms 17 are pivoted to drum 16 in said slots 16 preferably by means of a wire ring 18. Ring 18 passes through apertures in the inner ends of said arms located on the outer sides of the longitudinal center lines of said arms. As illustrated, the outer or free ends of said arms are'bent backwardly .tric to hu lated and spaced apart by-means of a pluupon themselves to afford means for pivoting small pulleys 19 thereto. vA relatively small coiled sprin 20 or other elastic member' is interposed secured to the bottom of disk frame 15. The

bight of each of the flexible members 21 is passed over its appropriate pulley 19 on one of the arms 17 and has its free end passed through one of a plurality of eyes 23 or guide members circumferentially arranged m a circle circumscribed about the anchor posts 22. The electric heating units, indicated by the letter A, are each secured and electrically connected to the free end of one of the flexible conducting members 21 on the underside of disk frame 15. A dome or housing X fits over the lip of frame 15 enclosing all working parts.

The electrical connections to the heating units A are made as follows: lead wires 24 connected through a switch 25 to a source of electricit and connected respectively to a per and Owen contact rings 26 and 27, w 10h rin s are mounted in frame 15 concen- 16. Rings 26 and 27 are insurality of circumferentially arranged posts 28, secured in upright position to the bottom of disk frame 15. Each of the heating units A is provided with service wires 29 encased within flexible member 21. one of said service wires being connected and anchored to the contact ring 27, the other of. said service wires 29 being anchored and connected to the movable or spring contact 30 ri dly secured at one end to the top of one o the insulated posts 22. Each of movable contacts 30 extends inwardly over the top of upper contact ring 26 having its inner or free end apertured to reeive the-lower inturned end of a link 31. The upper end of link 31 is pivoted to the'appro riate arm 17 at a' oint adjacent the pivote end thereof. As il ustrated in Figure 3. when the arms 17 are swun hers 21 will be taken up, the heating units A will be at elevated inoperative positions and the movable contacts 30 will be lifted by links 31. The dotted lines in Figures 3 and 5 show the flexible'member 21 extended to lower the heatin unit A. with arm 17 swung outwardly,' there y close the circuit t rop h its eating unit. Mechanism is provl ed for readily elevatto upright or approximately upright position, through the action of springs 20 the bight or slack in flexible mem permittin contact 30 to.

gaged by horizontally extending worm 37 j ournaled in said frame. The shaft of Worm 37 extends through casing '32 and carries at its outer end the crank 38 by which it may be readily seen, movable standard 12 carryingthe dome and frame may be raised or lowered.

-The heating units may be of any desired standard type having the inner tubes in which the curling rods containing the hair are inserted and having the heat coils encircling said tubes. In Figure 7 the upper portion of one of the heating devices employed is [shown in .vertical section. The

vertically disposed tubular member 39 fits snugly within an upper casing 40 of heat resistant material. Tubular casing 40 is provided with grooves to receive and house the service wires 29 which are electrically connected to the heat element at an intermediate portion of the heating device (not shown). An outer relatively thin tubular casing 42'is snugly telescoped over casing 40. The upper extremity of tube 39 is ta-" pered and rovided with a pair of vertically extending oppositely disposed slots 39 in the upper portion thereof. These slots are adapted to receive the widenedflat end 41 of a-curling rod 41 to permit the same to pass through the tapered portion of tube 39. When the flat head 4:1 has been passed above the upper extremity vof the tube 39, curling rod 41 is then turned to lock and center the same within said tube. Notches are provided in the top peripheral ed e of the tapered portion of tube 39 wherein ead 41 is seated and retained.

The above described means for securing the curlin rod in the several heaters not only ermits the-rods to be quickly inserted and ocked within the heating tubes, but moreover centers the rod with respect to its surrounding tube.

" Operation.

The operation of the above described device maybe briefly set forth as follows:

III

[Ill

Assumlng the upper standard 12 and dome Xvto have been adjusted as desired by means ofthe mechanism previously described. the person whose hair is to be treated is seated directly beneath the disk frame 15. Strands ofhair are then wound about curling rods and secured thereto and the switch 25 turned on. Before each strand of hair is inserted within one of the heating units A the flexible condult 21 must be pulled down, thereby re-' leasmg flexible contact 30' which closes the circuit for its heating unit. The strand of hair is then inserted within a heating unit the vertical position of the respective heating units has been thoroughly tested out and found highly eificient for the purposes intended. The sides of dome X are arched substantially concentrically with the arcs formed by the movement of the several arms 17 It will be noted that arms17 are properly spaced apart and can never strike each other, since they are guided by their pivots and are mounted in radial slots in the top edge of drum 16. The links 31 (see Figure 4) are insulated from arms 17 so that there will be no chance of a short circuit through the frame.

Heating units A are entirely supported by the flexible members 21, no additional cords, counter-weights or spools being needed to permit vertical adjustment of the same.

Dome X fits over the upper lip of disk frame 15 and may be readily secured thereto by any suitable means, such as set screws. Obviously, this dome may be readily removed to expose the take-up apparatus for the heating units as well as all electrical connection and contacts. I 4

From the above description it will be seen that'the applicant has invented a simple and highly eflicient permanent wave apparatusrendering the greatest convenience and safety to the operator and dispensing with many objectionable features now included in most commercial devices of this It will of course. be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, proportions and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the character described an overhead support, a swingable arm pivoted to said support, apulley or guide member adjacent the free end of said arm, a flexible member anchored at one end to said support and passed over said guide member with its free end depending from said support and a heatin device attached to the free end of said exible member whereby the "vertical position of said heating device may be varied with the radial position-of:

' to. engage t e intermediate port on of said said arm.

jacent its free end, a plurality of flexible members anchored at their inner .ends' to said support passing over said guide mem-' v bers and having their free ends depending from said support and aplurality of independent electrical heating devices attached to the lower ends of said flexible members, and means impelling said 'aruisto substantially upright position, the weight 'otsaid heating devices tending to'counter balance the effect of said last mentioned means.

r 3. The structure set forthin claim 2' and said last mentioned means comprising'elasti'c elements eccentrically connected to the inner ends of said arms and said'support.

4. In apparatus of the character described an overhead support, a plurality of radially disposed vertically swingable .arms pivoted to the upper side .ofsaid support, each of said arms having a pulley or guide member adjacent its free end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced eyes or guide members in said support aligned respectively with said radial arms, a plurality of flexible members anchored at their inner ends'to said support 7 I and passed through said ulleys on said arms and said eyes in sai support and a plurality of independent heating devices attached .to the outer-ends of said flexible 'members on the under side .of said support.

5. The structure set forth inclaimft, said arms being pivoted at the outer sides of their longitudinal center lines and a lurality ofelastic members each connecte at one end to the-pivoted end of one of said arms at a point on thejnner side of the longitudinal center line thereof-and having its other end secured to said support.

6. In apparatus of the character described an upright pedestal, a vertically movable standard mounted in said pedestal, a horizontally extending housing supported from the upper end of said movable standard, a plurality of independent heating devices suspended from sa d housing and vertically adjustable means for varying the height of said standard comprising a sprocket journaled in said pedestal and having engagement with teeth on said standard and a crankoperated worm adapted to drive said sprocket.

7. In apparatus of the character described, I

an elevated support, a flexible member anchored at one end to said support and having its free end depending therefrom, a V heating device secured to the free end of said flexible member, and swingable ad usting means ivoted'to said support adapted whereby vertical position of said heating may bevaried according to the radial posi- 5 tion of said swingable means.

8. In apparatus of the character described, an elevated sup ort, a flexible supporting member anchore at one endto said su port and having its free end depending t erefrom, a heating device secured to the free end of said flexible member, a rigid member swingable on said support having means thereon or enga ing the intermediate portion of said flexible member to permit longitudinal slippage of the same thereover, whereby the vertical position of said heatin device may be varied with the radial'position of said swingable member.

9. In apparatus of the character described, an elevated support, a flexible supporting member anchored at one end to said support, and having its free end depending therefrom, an electrical heating device connected to the de nding end of said flexible member, swin a le means on said support for varying t e vertical position of said heating device, an electrical contact mounted on said'support and electrically connected to said heating unit, and an electrical contact mounted on said swingable means in position to enga said first mentioned contact to close a circuit through said heating device when said heating device is lowered to predetermined position.

10. In ap aratus of the character de scribed, an e evated support, a plurality of independent electrical heating devices susended'from said support, means for rendermg said heating devices independently and vertically adjustable, and means connected to said first mentioned means for independently causing an electrical circuit to be closed through each heatin device when said heating device is lowere to a predetermined position.

-11. Inapparatus of the character described, an elevated support, a plurality of independent circumferentially arranged electrical heating devices suspended from said support, a lurality of means on said support for in ependently varying the vertical position of said heating devices, a fixed an nular contact electrically connected to a source of electricity, and a plurality of movable contacts, each connected to one of said adjusting mechanisms and eacheadapted to engage said annular contact when its heat-- mg device is lowered to a predetermined positlon. r;

In testimony whereof they aflix their signatures.

PAUL KUNIN. REUBEN A. OLSEN. 

